There is so much of what I would describe as irony here in Kenyan
culture. Strange versions of Americana skewed by African views. the
truth is it's only ironic in a western context with the baggage I
bring. With that said I pose the question: with lingual and cultural
boundries can a foreign mind ever fully understand another?
This summer I have the oppourtunity to look at my customs/methods/
beliefs/self in a new light. I made the decision to bring only one
album with me on this trip. I wanted an album that I was familiar with
but also deserved deeper investigation.
I decided on Bon iver's for emma forever ago. I saw a connection in
justin vernon's transformative state as he changed his setting to one
that was 'foreign'.
To me, the album has such a cold setting. Sitting in eldoret,
kilometers from the equator, listening to an album recorded in
wisconsin winter puts a new spin on every line. I think the reason it
works is the parrallel of beauty to tragedy which is constant here.
It's also taken my last piece 'I still pray sometimes when I need
something' somewhere new for me. In this area, last year, over a
hundred homes were burned in the post election violence. You would be
hard pressed to find a kenyan that doesn't still thank god for what
they do have.
My iPhone in this context is a riot. Business owners and politicians
approach me like I can walk on water when I'm holding this thing.
Watching them play around with is like watching a child discovering
gravity. It's incredible.
But what's the biggest culture clash I've encountered? Me. I get
stared at and followed like a celebrity footing through the city. A
couple of days ago I walked through a slum village and amassed a
sizeable crowd in about five minutes. Benjamin, who escourted me
through, explained 'they've never seen a muzungu (white person) before.'
-Cheers
beautiful words max :)
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